Transition

Concentration of CO2 in the Atmosphere

October 29 Green Energy News

Words to Remember:

“Every­thing is im­pos­sible until it is done,” says an official of the German region of Rhein-Hunsruck. The district uses wind, sol­ar, bio­mass and hy­dro sup­ply 177% of its elec­tri­city, and sells the sur­plus. C02 emis­sions have fall­en by 64% since 1990 and the economy has $50 million per year more than it had. [Edmonton Journal]

Science and Technology:

A draft of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Synthesis report warns of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts. To keep the temperature from rising above the 2° threshold, net global emissions of carbon must drop 40-70% by 2050, hitting zero by the end of the century. [International Business Times UK]

World:

The results of India’s latest solar auction are in, and it is bad news for developers of Australian coal projects – solar PV is cheaper for Indian users than the electricity price needed to pay for imports of coal from Australia. The low bids were below $0.09/kWh, at a price at which coal imports are not economically viable. [RenewEconomy]

China is on course this year to build four times the total wind power installed in all of Denmark as developers push to build the turbines ahead of cuts to incentives originally designed to spur the industry. The nation may add as much as 20 gigawatts of wind power in 2014 and maintain that pace next year. [Businessweek]

While home owners in regional locations of Australia often make a choice to go off-grid, particularly those who have to pay a high connection fee for new homes, it is becoming increasingly clear that taking some towns and villages off the grid may also be a better solution. [CleanTechnica]

Poor nations are adding capacity from renewable energy projects at nearly twice the rate of developed countries, a new interactive report found. The surge reflects the economic advantage that cleaner technologies have in emerging markets with expanding populations and economies. [International Business Times]

Europe is on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 24% by 2020 from 1990 levels, four percentage points higher than its goal, the European Environment Agency reported. The bloc was also on its way to meet the target of having renewable sources account for at least 20% of energy needs by 2020. [Channel News Asia]

With increasing integration of wind power and conversion of CHP plants to use biomass, around 71% of Denmark’s electricity supply will be renewable by 2020, compared to 43% in 2012. Denmark is also close to meeting the Danish national targets of reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2020. [Copenhagen Capacity]

US:

The Post Carbon Institute has released a report, “Drilling Deeper,” which examines Energy Information Administration’s forecasts for 12 shale plays that together cover 82% of tight oil and 88% of shale gas production. It says the EIA is almost certainly overstating the amount of oil the plays can produce. [CleanTechnica]

Renewable energy sources accounted for 40.61% of all new US electrical generating capacity put in service during the first three quarters of this year, according to the latest Energy Infrastructure Update report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Only natural gas provided more new generating capacity. [North American Windpower]

NRG Energy and MGM Resorts International announced that the world’s largest rooftop PV array on top of a convention center has been successfully completed. The 6.4 MW installation covers an area of 8.1 hectares on top of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, generating enough energy for over 1,000 US homes. [PV-Tech]

September was the biggest month ever for Tucson Electric Power’s Renewable Energy Department. Over 500 applications for new solar connections came in and October seems to be keeping apace. What’s driving this surge? Better financing options for consumers and better information. [Arizona Daily Star]

Utilities see themselves losing ground to new competitors as the US strives to significantly expand and strengthen its electrical grid, according to a Mortenson Construction survey of utility executives, engineers, and suppliers at the 2014 IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference. [PR Web]

New Jersey’s Public Service Electric and Gas Company has started construction of its largest solar project to date, an 11.18-MW project atop the closed Kinsley Landfill. Kinsley is the utility’s third project to transform the state’s landfill space into solar farms under the Solar 4 All initiative. [reNews]